Mechanical pencil



NOV. 19, 1940. 5 KANNER MECHANICAL PENCIL Filed Jan. 19, 1939 INVENTOR Samuel Kamzcr ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 19, 1940' MECHANICAL PENCIL Samuel. Kamier, New York, N. Y., assignor to Spencerian Pen Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 19, 1939, Serial No 251,711

10 Claims. (01. 120-17) This invention relates generally to mechanical pencils and more particularly to' mechanical pencils of the magazine type, that is mechanical pencils in which a compartment is provided for the reception of leads which are automatically fed into an operative position as'required.

More particularly, also, my invention relates to a mechanical pencil having a lead advancing means of the clutch type, in which the lead is advanced stepwise into a protruding position.

Among the objects of my invention is the provision of a simple, compact, effective and inexpensive construction for a mechanical pencil of the clutch type in which the lead is advanced stepwise by a reciprocating movement of an operating member.

These objects and such other'objects as will hereinafter appear or be pointed out, are attained by the illustrative embodiment of my invention shown in the drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a pencil constructed according to my invention; showing the lead and the parts of the pencil in a position of use;

Figure 2 is a similar view, with portions broken away and with the cap of the pencil removed. and the lead and the parts of the pencil being shown in the position they occupy at the end of a lead advancing adjustment and prior to a return of the parts into the operative position of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 3--3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1 on the level with'the rtop-of the head 26.

Referring now to the drawing for a detailed disclosure of my invention, it will be'observed that the body of the pencil comprises a barrel l having a pair of interthreaded bushings H and I2 set into oneend thereof and forming a the end portion of the barrel Hi, the bushing 12' and the nose piece I! merge into each other to form a tapering extremity for the pencil and expansion of these jaws.

will further be observed that the bushings II and I2 and the nose piece l'l are provided with aligned bores, through which a lead L may pass. The bores of the respective pieces vary at different portions thereof so as to accommodate various parts to be hereinafter described.

The bore of the nose piece I! is of restricted diameter at its end portion as shown at l8. Its inner portion is wider as shown at I!) and serves to accommodate a lead retaining member or friction tube 20, which may be in the form of a tube of resilient material having a nose pontion of restricted diameter adapted to bear against the lead L and which is shown as slitted as at 2| to provide resilient jaws. The portion I9 of the bore is made sufliciently large to permit The lead retaining member 20 is shown as passing through a restricted portion 22 of the bore of the bushing l2 by which it is centered, and through a widened portion 23 of the bore 1 of said bushing into the bore of a sleeve 24 mounted for sliding movement in the said bore portion 23 and providedwith a hollow head 25 positioned within the aforementioned chamber 35 13.

The hollow in the head 25 is shown as receiving therewithin the enlarged end portion 26 of a collet 21 provided with resilient jaws 28 adapted to grip a lead passing through the boreof the 30 collet, when they are pressed thereagainst. It will be observed that the lead L-l shown between the jaws 28 is'separate from but aligned with the lead L of which the end protrudes from the end of the pencil. When the jaws 28 grip y it and advance it, it therefore pushes the lead L outward, and in effect acts as though it were integral therewith, in this respect. While it would be quite feasible to use pieces of lead of a length such that they would be gripped by the 40 jaws 28-while their lower end portion protrudes from the pencil, there is an advantage in using short pieces which may be carried in a magazine of lesser length than where long pieces are used,

and the overall length of the pencil may there- I of the head 25 whereby withdrawal of the head 1 28 is prevented. In order to permit of the insertion of the head 28 into the head 25, the latter may be slitted into several portions, which are 5 adapted to spread as the tapered head 26 is inserted therebetween. By making the head 25 of resilient material it will snap into place over the head 25. A sleeve 30 may then be slipped over the head 25, therebypreventing separation of the portions thereof and locking the collet 21 to the sleeve 24. v

As will be more clearly understood as the description proceeds the sleeve 24 might be made integral with the collet 21 without affecting the comprising a sleeve 3| slidable within the barrel 25 "I and carrying sleeves or collars 32, 33 and 34 suitably secured thereto as for example by swaging portions of the sleeve 3| so as to form heads at appropriate points. The collar 32 is the lowermost one of these, and it surrounds and is slidable on the collet 28 and serves as a seatfor one end of a spring 35, the other end ofwhich seats on the bushing The spring 35 serves to urge the sleeve. 3| and the parts it carries upward, that v is away from the nose portion of the pencil, into 35 a position shown in Figure 1, which position is determined in part by considerations that will appear hereinafter.

The collar or sleeve 33 is shown as having a tapered bore 38 the walls of which are adapted to engage cam portions 36a provided on the outside of the end portions of the jaws 28 of the collet 21' and to cause them to move inwardly and to grip the lead L| when the sleeve 33 is moved into the position shown in Figure 1. It

will be obvious that the collar 33 cannot move upwardly beyond this position, and since it is carried in fixed relation to the sleeve 3| this position of collar 33 also determines the limiting position of the sleeve 3| in an upward direction. When the collar 33 moves downwardly from its position in Figure 1 it will release the jaws 28, which move outwardly because of their resiliency, thereby releasing the lead.

In addition to the opening of the jaws 28' because of their resiliency I have shown means for positively effecting such opening. Such means is illustrated as a tubular member 31 provided with a tapered nose portion 38 and slidably mounted within the collar 34. It is urged against the v jaws 28 by a spiral compression spring 39 located ina recess 40 provided between the collar 34 and the member 38, suitable abutments being pro- I vided on'the tubular member 31 and the sleeve 34 against which the endsof the spring 39 bear,

The upper end of the sleeve 3| serves as a magazine for extra leads M and this magazine is provided with a closure 4|, which may conveniently be in the form of a cup and may serve to carry an eraser 41 therein. In order tolimit the extent to which the closure 4| may be ;in-'

serted into-the sleeve 3| I have provided means in the form of a head 42.:

The member 31 has a'dual function, namely 7' that just described and also the function ofagitating the leads M in the magazine, when, as will hereinafter appear, its upper end 'mo'ves thereinto, so that the lead will more readily drop into the passageway for the leads, the upper end of which is constituted by the bore of the agitator" a 31.

A cap or sleeve 43 isshown as having one end portion seated over the sleeve 3| and extendin into the barrel [0. A bead 44 on-the sleeve 3|' serves to limit the extent to which the cap 43 can be inserted into-the barreland at ,thesame 10 time serves as a shoulder by which downward movement of the cap 43 will betr'ansmitted to the sleeve 3| for the purpose of causing the advance or the lead in the bore of the pencil. The;

upper end of the cap 43 is closed by a member 15 .45. A clip 48 is shown carried by the cap; this is conveniently made integral with the member 45.

In Figure 1 the parts of the pencil are shown in what may be'called their normal position,

and the pencil is ready for use. While the cap 20 43 is shown in place in the barrel l8, it is to be observedthat it maybe removed if it is desired to use the eraser 43,or if for other-reasons it is desired to use the pencilwithout the cap.

If it is desired to load the magazine with a 25 supply of leads this is readily done by removing the closure 4| and with it the eraser 41 and inserting the desired number ofleads M. It will be observed that owing to the inclined. upper walls or the sleeve 34 and the tubular member 30 31 and their stepwise arrangement, the leads automatically feed in succession into the bore of the member 31 as' soon as its upper end is clear.

It will be observed that in Figure l the sleeve 3| and the collars 32, 33 and 34 are in their up- 35 permost positions, being urged upwardly by the spring 35, and the collar 33 has carried the collet 21 with it and has closed the jaws 28 thereof against the lead L|. At the same time the jaws 28 limit the further upward movement of 40 the collar 23 and consequently of all the parts carried by sleeve 3|, because of the tact that the collet 21 has been forced into its uppermost position, which is determined by the head 25 of the member 24 striking the upper wall of the cham- 5 her |3.. The agitator 31 is inactive.

The lead L is maintained in position by the lead L--| which prevents its inward movement, since the lead L| is itself locked against in- -ward movement, and the member I6 holds the 50 lead L against accidental outward movement by its frictional grip. It will therefore be obvious that with the parts of the pencil as shown in Figure 1, the pencil is ready for use.

When it is desired to advance a lead the sleeve 55 3| must be pushed inward to the maximum extent. This may be done by'push ng on the cap 43, if it is in place, as in Figure l, or by pushing on the eraser 41, if the cap has been removed,

as in Figure 2. In the latter figure the sleeve 3 3| is shown pushed inward, and the normal posi-.

'tion of the eraser has been indicated in-dot and dash lines, while its pushed-in position has'been shown in full lines.

tinues.

38 of the member 31 enters between the jaws 28 of the collet 21 and spreads them, thereby releasing the lead L-l. As a result of the resistance of the collet 21 to further movement the agitator 31 is brought to a stop and the spring 39 is compressed until a point is reached at which it stopsQthe downward movement of the collar 34 and with it the sleeve 3| and all the parts carried by it. This relative movement between the sleeve 3|, and particularly the part 34 carried by it, and the agitator 31, causes the upper end of; the latter to project into the magazine and thereby causes movement of some of the leads M in relation to others, which'movement has the effect of assuring the entrance of one of the leads M into the bore of the pencil whenever the lead Ll has moved sufliciently to clear the upper end of the bore.

When the jaws 28 of the collet 21 are spread, the head L-l is released and the advancing movement thereof and of the lead L ceases. The sleeve 3| is now released and the spring 35 causes it to return to its normal position of Figure 1. As it moves into saidposition it carries the collet 21 with it, but since the jaws 28 are open the lead L--I is not retracted. When the head 25 strikes the upper wall 49 of the chamber l3 the collet 21. is brought to a stop,

.butthe movement of the sleeve 3land the parts it carries, and in particular the collar 33, con- The collar 33 thereby exerts a wedging action and closes the laws 28 and forces them against the lead L--l. This results in ultimately bringing the collar 33, and with it the sleeve 31, to a stop in the position shown in Figure 1.

As a result of this manipulation the lead L has been advanced through a distance represented by .the space between the dotand dash line 50 of Figure 2 and the end of the lead L of the pencil. Should further projection. of the lead be desired the operation of pushing the sleeve 3| inward must be repeated.

The advantages of the various features described hereinabove will now be further pointed out. First of all it will be observed that the construction I have described is extremely simple and reliable in operation, there being no intricate mechanisms or parts requiring delicate adjustment that will readily get out of order.

Secondly, assembly of the parts is an extreme- 1y simple matter. As can be readily understood from the drawing the parts 3|, 31, 21, 32, 33, 34 and 39 are first assembled as a unit to which are added the spring 35 and the bushing II. The sleeve 24 then has its head 25 snapped in place over the head 26 of the collet 21, after which the sleeve 30 is slipped over the head 25' and the parts thereby secured against separabore through which the leads move from the magazine, is continuous, and has no breaks therein into which leads orfragments thereof can move laterally and thereby obstruct .the bore and prevent proper functioning of the mechanism.

Control of the leads entering the lead pas-' I sage takes place near the entrance to the pas-' Zsage so that very shortly after a lead enters -tages of the two-piece construction of the nose portion of the pencil, which makes possible an enlargement of" the bore 19 to permit the jaws of the friction tube 28 to move freely, while at the same time the bore 22 may be restricted to prevent undesired lateral movement of the friction tube 20. a

While I have herein disclosed by way of illustration one embodiment of my invention, it

will be understood that the same may be embodied in many other forms without departing from the spirit thereof, as will be obvious to those .skilled in the art, and that the disclosure herein is by way of illustration merely and is not to be interpretedin a limiting sense,

and that I do not limit myself other than by the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a magazine lead pencil comprising a hollow barrel, a passageway adapted to receive a lead therein, and providedfwith an opening for discharging said lead, means for frictionally retaining the lead in said passageway, and means for advancing the lead in said passageway a predetermined distance, said means comprising a collet having limited movement in the barrel and provided with spring jaws adapted to engage a second lead axially aligned with said first lead, and operating means for the jaws of said collet,

comprising a member slidable in the bore of said barrel and adapted to move into a normal position when released, said member carrying means for moving said resilient jaws inward andfor releasing said jaws so that they are free to open when said operating member is pushed inward, and saidmember also carrying means for positively spreading said spring jaws, said spreading means being movable relatively to 'said operating member and being urged into a predetermined position in relation'thereto by resilient means.

2. In a magazine lead pencil comprising a hollow barrel, a passageway adapted'to receive a lead therein and provided with an opening for discharging said leads, means for frictionally retain-- ing the lead in said passageway, and means for advancing the lead in said passageway,- a, predetermined distance, said means comprising a collet "having limited movement in the barrel and pro,-

vided with spring jaws adapted to engage a second lead in said passageway axially aligned with said first lead, and operating means for the jaws of said collet comprising a member slidable in the bore of said barrel, resilient means for causing said member to move into a normal position when it is released, said member carrying means for moving said resilient jaws inward against the lead when said operating means is released and for releasing said jaws so that they are free to open when said operating member is pushed inward, and said member also carrying means for,

positively spreading said spring jaws, said spreading means being movable relatively to said operating member and being urged into a predetermined position in relation thereto by resilient means. a

3. In a mechanical pencil, a barrel, a chambered member positioned at one end of said barrel and comprising a pair of threaded interfitting parts one of 'which'is positioned entirely within the barrel and the other of which forms an 7 extension of'the barrel, a tip portion threaded to the'second of said members, said members having a passageway therein, adapted to receive leads, resilient means adapted to grip a lead positioned in said passageway so as to maintain it'in position therein, a collet having its lower part comprising two parts interlocked against relative axial movement and having an enlarged head extending into said chamber of the chambered member and having limited movement therein and its upper part extending into the barrel and provided with resilient spring jaws adapted to grip a lead positioned between said jaws, a tubular member slidable in said barrel andihaving a collar at its end portion surrounding said collet, a compression spring positioned between-the inner end of said chambered member and said collar and tending to move said operating'member away from said chambered member, means for operating the jaws of said collet comprising a tubular member with a tapered bore surrounding said collet and adapted to engage its jaws positioned in adjacencyto said collar, means for retaining said tubular member in adjacency to said collar, and means for spreading the jaws of said collet slidably mounted within said retaining means.

4..In a mechanical pencil, a barrel, means provided with jaws adapted to grip a lead mounted for limited sliding movement in said barrel, and operating means mounted for movement in said barrel and provided with means to close or to release said jaws as it moves longitudinally in said barrel, and means adapted to spread said jawscarried by-said operating means.

5. In a mechanical pencil, a barrel, means provided with jaws adapted to grip a lead mounted for limited sliding movement in said barrel, and operating means mounted for movement in said barrel and provided with means to close or to release said jaws as it moves longitudinally in said barrel, and means adapted to spread said jaws mounted for movement on saidoperating means.

6. In a mechanical pencil, fixed parts including an outer casing, a collet mounted for movement in said casing and comprising two members interlocked against relative axial movement, one of said members having means thereon for gripping a lead, and the other of said members being provided with means adapted to engage fixed parts of the pencil so as to limit the movement of said collet, and said members having aligned axial bores adapted to receive a lead therein.

7. In a mechanical pencil, fixed partsincluding an outer casing, a collet mounted for movement in said casing and comprising two members ina lead, and the other of said.members being provided with an enlarged head adapted to be received in a chamber in the frame of said pencil and adapted'to engage fixed partsof the pencil so as to 'limit the'movement of said collet, and said members having aligned axial bores adapted to receive a lead therein.

8. In a mechanical pencil, a member provided with jaws adapted to grip a lead, means for causing said jaws to close, and means for causing said jaws to open carried by said jaw closing means.

9 A magazine pencil comprising a barrel, operating parts at one end of the barrel providing a passageway therein for leads, said passageway opening to the exterior of the pencil for the extrusion of leads therefrom, and means for causing movement of the leads in said passageway having portions extending through the other end of the barrel and projecting outwardly therefrom, whereby said meansmay be manipulated to slide longitudinally in said barrel and to cause the advancement of leads positioned in the passageway, said means having a hollow portion adapted to receive a plurality of leads and said hollow portion communicating with said passageway,

collet to grip a lead in said passageway, saidmeans being operated by the movement of said operating means, and means carried by said operating means vbut movable relatively thereto for causing the positive opening of the jaws of said collet at a predetermined point.

10. A magazine pencil comprising a barrel, op-

erating parts at one end of the barrel providing a passageway for leads and opening to the exterior of the pencil for the extrusion of leads irom said passageway, and means for causing movement of the lead in said passageway having portions extending through the other end of the barrel and projecting outwardly therefrom, whereby said means may be manipulated to slide longitudinallyin said barrel and to cause the advancement of leads-positioned in the passageway, said 'means being provided with a hollow portion adapted to receive a plurality of leads and said .hollow portion communicating with said passageway, said passageway being of a length greater than the maximum length of the leads adapted to be received in said hollow portion, a collet provided with spring jaws having inclined outer surfaces adapted to grip a lead situated in the passageway, frictional means for resisting themovement of leads out of the passageway, means for causing the jaws of said colletto grip a lead in said passageway, said means being provided with a tapered bore adapted to engage the inclined outer surfaces-of said jaws and being operated by the movement of said operating means, andmeans carried by said operating means but movable relatively thereto for causing the positive opening of the jaws of said collet at a predetermined point.

SAMUEL KANNER. 

